The Family of Bertie Thomas Cloake & Sarah Couling
From Cornwall to Canterbury: Four Generations
Great-Grandparents Generation
Bertie's Line (Cloake)
Resided in Stoke Climsland, Cornwall
Occupation: Farm labourer
Their son John (b. 1818) was Bertie's grandfather
Sarah's Line (Couling & Toll)
Grandfather of William Couling (Sarah's father)
William: Born Barnstaple, Devon. Carter, miller, and road contractor. Died Polbathnic.
Elizabeth: Christened 22 February 1784, St Germans. Twin of Jane.
Their daughter Emma (b. 1821) married William Couling and became Sarah's mother
Grandparents Generation
Bertie's Grandparents
John: Born Pillaton, son of William & Jane. Agricultural labourer. Moved from Pillaton to Landulph (1856). Lived at Penyoke Cottage, Cargreen.
Mary Ann: Born Polborder, Pillaton. Buried Baptist Cemetery, Saltash.
Their Children (Bertie's aunts & uncles):
Sarah's Grandparents
William: Born Sheviock, Cornwall. Son of Daniel Couling (b. 1789).
Emma: Christened St Germans. Twin sister of Jane Toll. Lived at Polbathic Village. Remarkably, lived to age 126!
Their Children (Sarah's siblings):
Parents Generation
Bertie's Parents
Occupations & Residences:
- 1871: Agricultural labourer, age 13 (servant for Herring Family, Pillaton)
- 1881: Agricultural labourer, Landulph
- 1891: Market gardener, Cargreen
- 1893–1897: Market gardener, Ellbridge
- 1901–1911: Farmer at Bag Mill, Saltash St Stephen
- Lost £2,000 in bank failure during Great Depression
- Visited New Zealand October 1928, returned to England with Bertie
Born: Western Mill, South Budeaux, Devonshire
Died: From septicemia, three months after Arthur's birth
Buried: 17 December 1895, Baptist Graveyard, Cargreen
"Did not keep good health" – Mary Cloake
Born: Menheniot, Cornwall
Became housekeeper for David after Amanda died
Later married David; known as very strict
Died: Quethiock (poisoned herself with strychnine; newspaper noted "of unsound mind")
Residence at death: Warren House Farm
Children of David & Amanda:
Children of David & Salina:
Sarah's Parents
Sarah was one of 13 children from this large Cornish family
Family lived at Treverbyn, St Neot area
Father was gamekeeper at Couling Cottage (Keepers Cottage)
Bertie Thomas Cloake & Sarah Couling
Life in England:
- 1891: Age 7, scholar, Cargreen
- 1901: Age 17, farmer – worker for father at Bag Mill
- 1911: Age 27, cow and poultryman, Daison Cottages, Torquay
- Had small business in Union Street, Torquay (mixed goods & insurance)
Lifelong ambition: To emigrate to New Zealand and buy a farm
Resided at Polbathic, St Germans at time of marriage
Notable: Sarah was a sleepwalker – once walked half a mile and was found at Wenmouth Cross
Emma and Asta went to Plymouth to farewell her before voyage to NZ
⚓ The Journey to New Zealand (1913)
March 1913 Bertie's Journey
Departed on S.S. Corinthic, arrived Wellington, March 1913
13 Sep 1913 Sarah & Mary's Journey
Ship: S.S. Corinthic from Southampton
Fare: £26
Accommodation: Six-berth cabin shared with 5 other ladies and another toddler
Duration: Six weeks through the tropics
The Voyage: Sarah was ill for the entire journey. The other passengers took turns caring for baby Mary. Metal chutes were erected at portholes to funnel air into the oppressively hot cabins.
Arrival: Wellington → Ferry to Lyttleton → Train to Timaru
Bertie met them in Wellington
1 April 1921 Settlement at Springbrook
Arrived at their 10-acre property near Timaru
- One mile from school
- Three miles from shop, Post Office, and train station
Their Children
Traveled to New Zealand with her mother as an 8-month-old infant (September 1913)
Helped extensively with the beekeeping business
Authored detailed memoir of pioneer life in New Zealand
Described working with bees as "a messy and sticky job"
Worked alongside father in beekeeping operations
1948: Took over the bees and all equipment after mother Sarah died
Continued beekeeping business after Bertie's death in 1960
🐝 The Cloake Beekeeping Enterprise (1923–1960+)
Spring 1923 The Beginning
Bertie discovered a swarm of bees in a hollow outside the kitchen chimney. He removed them into a bee box (super), creating the first hive.
Early Expansion:
- Purchased 12 hives from Mr. Foster
- Transported by horse and dray
- Initially worked at freezing works
- By 1935: Left freezing works to focus on bees full-time
Growth & Innovation:
- Developed into large-scale commercial operation
- Maintained apiaries on various farms, some 20+ miles from Springbrook
- Won numerous prizes at shows for honey and wax
- Italian Bees: Imported from America – quieter, stronger, distinctive yellow markings
- Successfully phased out black queen bees
- Bred queens exported to Canada
- Sent bees to Raoul Island for native bush pollination experiments
- Created apparatus for cutting solid honey into 1lb blocks
- Brand: "Cloakes Pure Clover Honey 1 lb nett"
Infrastructure Development:
- Initially: 2-frame, then 4-frame hand extractor
- Installed electric motor when electricity became available
- Built top story onto honey house for extractor
- Honey drained down into tanks below
Family Involvement:
- Bertie: Operations, breeding, innovation, honey collection
- Mary & Harry: Processing, frame-making, putting out supers, extracting, packing
Succession:
- 1948: Sarah died; Harry took over operations
- 1960: Bertie died; Harry continued the business
🌊 The Cornish Migration to New Zealand
Following Bertie and Sarah's path, many relatives made the journey from Cornwall throughout the 1920s:
1922 Arthur & Alma Cloake
Arthur Bernard Cloake (Bertie's brother) arrived. Alma Ivy Chubb came out to marry him. Settled in Invercargill, where Arthur died in 1971.
16 Mar 1922 The Harper Family
Emma Jane Harper (née Couling – Sarah's sister) with husband William Harper and children:
- Emmie Couling Harper (b. 14 Jun 1910)
- William (Bill) Couling Harper (b. 12 Jun 1911)
Stayed permanently. Bill Harper became a policeman, later racecourse detective. Emma married; had step-daughter Carol De Dulin.
29 Mar 1923 Annie Couling
Sarah's sister Annie arrived but returned to England 27 April 1923. During WWII worked for Sir Arthur Cope near Launceston.
1925 Em and Bill Steer
Arrived from England, settled permanently, married and remained in New Zealand.
Also: The Steer boys and cousins Len and Amy stayed about 10 years before returning to England to farm in Launceston, Devon.